
CENTENNIAL 



OF THE 



I 




I 



AN ADDRESS 



DELIVERED IN SACO, OCT. 12, lSG-2. 



ON THE 



ONE HUNDIIETH ANNIVERSARY 



OF THE 



.IN SACO, ME., 



BY REV. EDWARD S. DWIGHT, 
Sixth Pastor. 



PUBLISHEDBY REQUEST 



SACO: 
WILLIAM NOYES, PRINTER, 

1 8G2. 



T^ 



mmsucm uillaoVu 



ADDRESS. 



The service of this afternoon — the First Centennial of the 
Organization of this Church — is strongly suggestive of the 
youthfulness of our nation. In the villages of England, as 
the traveler, in quest of objects of interest, visits the church- 
yard, he needs no guide-book to tell him that the edifice, 
standing amid the ancient graves, with its stone walls mossy 
and weather-stained, and its time-worn carving, is a mon- 
ument of some long past age ; that there the villagers now 
sleeping around him, and probably their ancestors in many 
an earlier generation, were wont to gather for their simple 
worship. So everywhere on the continent of Europe. 
From out of the modern bustle arise everywhere the relics 
of a high antiquity, reminding him constantly that he is in 
the old world. IJut as we to-day look back only one hun- 
dred years, we recur to a point of time at which our nation 
itself — at this moment so great and powerful — had not as 
yet come to its birth. Only a few dependent Colonies, 
scarcely equal to the task of self-protection, lined the Atlan- 
tic coast, and cautiously extended their enterprise and juris- 
diction a little way into the interior. The period exceeds by 
less than ten years the age of two of the still surviving mem- 
bers of this Church ; and yet, as we glance around, what do 
we see that dates as far back as its beginning ? Excepting 
nature's own permanent landmarks ; — the beautiful river, 
old — for aught we know — as human history itself, hurrying 
from its mountain-sources, quietly gliding through the fertile 
intervales, or rushing through rapids or down its long succes- 
sion of picturesque falls — the shore, against vi^hich the Allan- 



lie hn» spent its strength through all lime in vnin — the gcrv 
rral configuration of the country ; — excepting these crealionB 
of a hiu'her |>owcr, what inet'ts our siglil to-<lay that i«« a hun- 
tlretl years old ? Of the works of man — notRiri^'. ravi- a few 
beams in here and there a ttolitary house. All (hat shows his 
handywork around us is of recent date. Ours is emphatical- 
ly the new world. Our nation has not yctoutlivrd its child- 
hood. \N'hni. then. — if oiih (Jnd prosper u«, — may not its 
manhoo<l b*- 1 

But still, so short i!> the :ivcrn<:e length of htimnn liU>, so 
rapid the chanties over the fare of society amon^ u»; a re- 
trospect of a century seems to carry ns back far into olden 
time. The events, the social experiences and habits of a hun- 
(lrc<l venrs a:.'o are alrnnst as much out of our raniro of thoui^ht 
and life, as iIiojm' iMloiigin*: to the days of the IMu-rims, or to 
the times of the discovery of America. It may be that we 
unconsciously make ourselves our standard of comparison ; 
and to M* a ^orcrnmeut that has lasted eighty years and 
more is venerable, and a chnrch has beconie ancient that has 
seen a full century pass away. 

At thin point this First Church of Christ in Sac«» will Irnvc 
arrived to-morrow. It was reutdarly organized on the l.ith 
day of October, 176*2. In attemplin;; a general review of 
its history, I labor under tin; <-mbarrassment of bcinc obligetl 
to dejH'nd on exceedinu'ly iinf>erfect records; while this de- 
ficiency is only in some small degree made goo<l by informa- 
•ion derived from other sources, — in reijard es(>ecially to the 
first fifty years fif its existence. I can therefore hojK' to tell 
little, \vhich those of you who, as older residents, are fmnilinr 
with the annals of the town, do not know already.* 

The earliest permanent settlement of Knglish Colonists 
within the limits of what is now the State of Maine ap|>ears 
to have lieen made in (his County, prolmbly in this imme- 
diate vicinity. The •election was determined, no doubt, 
chiefly by considerations of latitude ond climate ; a previous 

• Note A. 



attempt at colonization upon the coast farther to the North 
East having been frustrated by the severe cold of the winter. 
The first settlers established themselves, at least tennporarily, 
as early as 1616, at the mouth of the river, near the basin 
known to us as " The Pool," but to which they gave the 
name of " Winter Harbor." From that point the popula- 
tion of this part of the country took its rise. By gift of the 
British Crown, the ownership of the whole region through a 
broad extent of territory was vested in an English corpora- 
tion, known as The Plymouth Company ; under whose au- 
thority subordinate bodies of colonists secured local rights, 
and commenced settlements, at several points at about the 
same time ; at York, Kittery and Berwick, to the South, and 
in Scarborough on the North. Formal possession of the lo- 
cality upon the Southern bank of the river was not taken 
till 1630, when it was delivered with due form of law to 
Richard Vines, the trader who, fourteen years before, had 
resorted to Winter Harbor. Originally the whole section of 
territory immediately adjoining the river on both sides, for 
four miles along the coast in each direction, and extending 
eight miles into the interior, though conveyed to settlers under 
two distinct grants, was known by the common name of Saco ; 
the designations of East and West Saco being sometimes 
used for convenience. 

The occupation of the land this side of the river was not 
effected to any great extent until many years after the settle- 
ment of Lower Biddeford. The perils of those days of ex- 
posure to the attacks of hostile Indians made it absolutely 
necessary that the inhabitants should live near enough to a 
common centre, to be able to render each other mutual sup- 
port. Only with the utmost caution could they venture to 
enlarge the sphere of their operations. On this account the 
greater part of the population were for a long time clustered 
in West Saco, now Biddeford, near the mouth of the river. 
It is there, consequently, that we are to look for the early de- 
velopment of the religious history of the town. And it is to 



6 

the crcilu oi itx uttx inumlcrs, that tliough llicy wore not, 
like ihe IMi;ritns iti llic MayMowrr. exiles frorn their birtli- 
land for conscience' sake, and from ecclesiatlical tyranny, but 
simply commercial adventurers seeking to better their worldly 
fortunes, they were not content to remain lonj^ without the 
christian teaching to which they had been accustomed at 
home. A record dated in H)36, but six years after the first 
settlement, sets forth " the rate," or tax, *• for the fniriisler," 
which was assessed upon the difFereiit {)ro[>erly-ho|ders, to 
secure the preaching of the gos[)el. Whether this was the 
first tax of the kind is not now known. For a short time di- 
vine service was conducted by a minister of the Church of 
England, w ith which l>ody the first settlers had generally been 
connected. But upon their submitting, a few years later, to 
the jurisdiction of the Colony of Massachusetts, and ex[H.'r- 
icncing more ond more its religious influence, they came to 
adopt ill ecclesiastical forms and usages, and their later 
ministers were Congregational. 

The honor of having established the first regular church 
organization does not, however, belong to this town, but to 
the town of York, the First Church in \Thich place is the 
oldett in the State, dating its origin Ixick as far ns 1(>73. 
Subdequently, churches were gathered at Wells in 1701, at 
Berwick in 1702, at Kittcry in 17 M, and at Klliott in 1741. 
No church was formally organized in Saco till the 30th of 
April, 1730, (almost (>rccisely a century after the first legal 
settlement,) when what is now the First or Lower Church in 
Bidduford was founded. A few yiars previously, the whole 
township on l>oth sides of the river ha<l l>oen inror|>orated by 
the L<>uislature of .Massjiehusetts under the general name of 
Biddcford, which noine s«ems for a time to have 8U|>erseded 
that of Saco. The meeting-house, intended for the accom- 
modation of all the inhabitants, was a small edifice, measur- 
ing thirty-fiv«r feet by thirty, — not larger than a mo<lerate- 
ned dwelling, — furnished with galleries, one of which was 
occupied by the men, the other by the women. As their 



number increased, this building, vvliich was probably erectedf 
about the year 1720, was found inadequate to their necessity ;, 
and for this reason, as we may conjecture, and perhaps also 
on account of its inconvenient location, the town voted about 
thirty years afterward, in 1752, to build another, upon the 
site where the meeting house in Lower Biddeford — that of 
the First Church — now stands. 

But by this time a considerable number of families had es- 
tablished themselves on this side of the river, at various points 
along its shore above and below the falls, and in the neigh- 
borhood of Old Orchard. No bridge had as yet been built. 
The only way for travelers to cross the stream was by ferry. 
A circuitous road, a tedious ferriage, were serious obstacles 
to attendance upon public worship. When the proposition 
was made, therefore, and carried in the town-meeting, to 
build a new sanctuary, many of the settlers east of the river 
protested against a measure, a share of the burden of which 
they would be obliged to bear, without deriving corresponding 
advantage from its accomplishment. The reasonableness of 
their objections was so clear, that in the following year a new 
vote was passed, virtually reconsidering the previous one to 
build, and authorizing the inhabitants upon this side to con- 
stitute themselves into a distinct parish. Released by this 
vote from responsibility for the support of divine worship on 
the Western side, they proceeded at once to make arrange- 
ments for their own religious necessities. The frame of a 
new meeting-house, measuring fifty-four feet by forty, was 
speedily set up upon a lot of ground, containing four acres, 
now known as The Common, which had been given them for 
this purpose, " for a burying place, and for a school-house, 
and for no other use or end whatever," by Sir William Pep- 
perell, one of the largest land-owners of the settlement. It 
was completed, after many delays, about the year 1757, and 
was occupied by the parish as their house of worship for al- 
most half a century. At first, religious services were held in 
it only occasionally. The pastor of the church, — (the only 



cliurrh in the town, — ) ihe Rev. Mr. .Morrill, *\ i^ j» rinitlotl 
hy vole lo prrnch on this side of the river one-thinl of the 
lim« for a year ; and probably such an arrangement was con- 
tinued for a soniowhal longer [>crio<l. It came to an end, 
however, in l"(jl, when the parish engaged the services of a 
young licentiate, Mr. John Fairfield, who preached to them 
for the first time on the 23(1 of August, and continued to oc- 
cupy their |>ulpit in the wiine capacity, with occasional intcr- 
ruptiofis, f<ir some fourteen months. 

The tendency to a separation of interests between the in- 
habitants of the easlerti and western divisions of the town, 
which had l>cen for some time manifest, reached its consum- 
mation in June of the following year, 1762, when this Eas- 
tern half, now Saco, was set off by tlie Le^slature of Massa- 
chusetts as a distinct township, by the name of Vepprrellbo- 
rough. That the public convenience was greatly pr«)moled 
by this separation there can be no doubt. The (>opulation 
of the new town, however, was scanty and widely disjK'rsed. 
Little of the apfwarance of a village was as yet to be seen. 
A new and more direct road had recently been laid out be- 
tween the fulls and Scarborough. The first bridge to the 
i'^Iand — '* Indian Island" it was sometimes called — had b< en 
built only a short time l>efore. But u|>on what is now Mam 
Street^ the principal thoroughfare of the present town, not a 
dingle dwelling-house had been erected. Where the York 
(iank now iiands, near the corner of .Main and Water Street*, 
upon a uliglit elevation of ground which has since licen cut 
away, stood then — and remained within the memory of one 
of the venernble surviving' in- ' ' ^" rch — a bl<K-k- 

houtc, known (like itimilar ' _ re) as ** I'orl 

Hill ;" to which the citizens and tlicir families were accus- 
tomed to resort for filicltcr at night, oiid u|>on sudden alarm, 
in the time of the Indian hostilities. Here and tlierc, amid 
a few acres of cleared land, was lo bo seen a solitary farm- 
house, rarely of more liian a single story in height. In the 
neighborhood of the falls, — which the saw-mills, early erect- 



9 

ed, soon made the centre of trade, — a few mechanics, the 
miller, the cabinet-maker, the blacksmith, attended to the 
simple, every-day wants of the community ; a few stores 
supplied them with such articles of foreign manufacture as 
they needed, in exchange for the produce of their own 
farms. The chief local trade, was along the Ferry Road* 
and the present Boom Road, following the general course of 
the river up toward Hollis and Buxton. Of the various 
cross streets of the modern town scarcely one was opened. 
At the time of its incorporation not a single physician resi- 
ded within the limits of Pepperellborough, nor a single pro- 
fessionally-educated lawyer for nearly forty years afterwards. 
The whole population, so far as can now be ascertained, did 
not greatly exceed one hundred families. 

It was entirely in keeping with their New England spirit^ 
that one of the first acts of the citizens of the new town, af- 
ter its organization, had reference to the establishment of re- 
ligious worship as a permanent institution among them. A 
vote was passed on the 7th of August, 176:2, ap[>ointing a 
committee to invite Mr. John Fairfield to become their min- 
ister, oflfering him for a salary the sum of £80 " lawful," or 
^266, " if" — it was rather amusingly added — " they could 
not agree for a less sum." By a later vote this amount was 
increased to .^444, to enable him to " provide himself with a 
parsonage."! M*"- Fairfield, who, as we have seen before, 
had already been ministering to them as their religious teach- 
er for more than a year, accepted the invitation thus tendered 
to him. It now became desirable, the better to accomplish its 
great object, that a church of Christ should be regularly con- 
stituted here, over which he might be established in the pas- 
toral office. It was rightly thought proper that a measure of 
this kind, having a bearing so serious on the interests of the 
community, should be accompanied with suitable religious 
observances. A day was therefore designated to be appro- 
priately kept with reference to such an event ; and the brief 

* Note B. t Note C. 



10 

record of ibc doings of thai day— -one huniirtd years ago to- 
marroto — 1 will read to you from llie original church-record 
book, where it stands in the Inrpc, bold hand of the first 
Pastor. 

On the 13th of Ofnber ITJ?,*— 

• Church '• 'od in PopporfKborotieh. that bein^f t daj mC 

ap«rt by the i t tliercof m a day of Koitting and P rarer upon 

that •olemn and important occasion. — 
Um Metobera of which are as follows — 

JoR?( FAiRrirLD. 
Tai«TR»M Jordan. RoBriiT pATTrRso."*. 

.■Xm""* CllASE. RoBKhT KtXJCOMB. 

KdBKIlT PaTTFRSO?! Jl'R SaMI'CI. Ha'«KS. 

A.M>K»:W HKAHSTRilCT. MaO.NLS KiPI.I.H. 

GeRIIIOM IilLLI>US. TUUMA!I KdUCOMB. 

The forms of those days were characterized by scriptural 
simplicity. There was no need of any priestly authority or 
sanction to give validity to this act. It was a voluntary nju- 
tual agreement between this company of christian believers ; 
minister and brethren covenanting with one another to walk 
together in conformity to the rules of Christ's household ; 
and as the conHO(|uence a new church arose here, resting on 
Him as its " chief corner-stone." Uj»on the next l>age of the 
record-l>ook slamis the original Church-Ctivenant, (no doubt 
drawn up by the same hand that has here written it down.) 
which — on an occasion like this — I think you will not only 
pardon but thank me for reading. 

THE CHURCH COVENANT. 

We wboM nuam are hereunto subscribed, apprehending oocmIw 
calPd of God into the Chiirrh Slate of the Gospel ; do— 

fir»t of all, rnnfi*«« ouri«r!vea unworthy tn be so highly farorod of the 
Lord, ar "ut froc and rich (Jmce of hm which triumphs orerso 

fre«t Vi. •> : and then, with an humble Rojiance on the Aids of 

Grace therein promised to them tliat in a Sense of iheir Inabillity to do 
any gnod lhinj» of themselves, do humbly wait on him for all : — 

— We r>ow thankfully lay hold on his Covenant, and would cbooM 
the • 

^ Belief of the Christian Relijfion. as it is 
Coatanwd in the sacred ^cnptorm, and with such a View thereof as the 
■Coofossion of Fttt'h in our Churches has rihibited, heartily rosolviof to 



11 

•conform our Lives unto the Rules of that holy Reli^on as long as we 
live in the World. 

— We give up ourselves to the Lord Jehovah, who is the Father and 
the Son and the holy Spirit, and avouch him this day to be our God, our 
Father, our Savior, our Leader, and receive him as our Portion forever. 

— We give up ourselves unto the blessed Jesus, who is the Lord Je- 
hovah, and adhere to him as the Head of his People in the Covenant of 
Grace, and rely on him as the Prophet, Priest and King of our Salvation. 

— We acknowledge our everlasting Obligations to glorify our God in 
all the duties of a godly, sober and religious Life, and very particularly, 
in the duties of a Church State, and a Body of People associated for an 
Obedience to him in all the Ordinances of the Gospel, and thereupon 
depend upon his gracious Assistance for our faithful discharge of the 
Duties thus incumbent on us. — We desire and intend, and with depen- 
dance on divine Grace we engage to walk together as a Church of the 
Lord Jesus Christ in the Faith and Order of the Gospel, so far as we 
shall have the same reveal'd to us, and that we will constantly attend 
upon the worship of God, the Sacraments of the new Testament, the 
discipline of his Kingdom, and all his holy Institutions in Communion 
with One Another, and watchfully avoiding sinful stumbling Blocks and 
Contentions, as becomes a People whom the Lord has bound up together 
in the Bundle of eternal Life : at the same time, — We do also present 
our Ofspring with us unto the Lord, purposing with his help to do our 
part in the method of a religious Education, that they may be the Lord's. 
And all this — We do, flying to the Blood of the everlasting Covenant, 
for the pardon of our many Errors, and praying that the glorious Lord, 
who is the great Shepherd, would prepare and strengthen us for every 
good Work, to do his will continually, working in us always that which 
is well pleasing in his Sight, to whom be Glory forever and ever Amen. 

(Signed as above.) 

To this fundamental comjiact, by which the Church was 
now gathered and bound together, it is quite remarkable that 
there is not the signature of a single female member ! Among 
the mothers and daughters then living in this town, not one 
appears to have been a professed disciple of Christ. The 
Church at its organization consisted of eleven brethren only, 
including its minister. 

Of the subsequent doings of the Church in relation to the 
settlement of a Pastor, the first record is as follows : — 

1762 Oct'r. 14. The Church gave John Fairfield a unanimous Call 
to the pastoral Care of them, in Concurrence with the Call of the Inhab- 



12 

ittnia of ihc dintrirt of PpppcrfUboni', of him. on 12 of Ao^iRt Iimt, lo 
tbo Work of the (icxipcl Minulry nnnMi' tli.ni A1..I mi.? J.,l..n F-irt'ii-lil 
accept iB||f Mid Call i— 

wu On iho 'i7lh of Ocl'r, 17(?J, ('nnmt.i ti r 1 

work of th«» (Mvif..l.Mini«try lo the Church and !'• ', 

bj the r oa, by solemn Prayer ajul liitt Iiii|MMiiH>ii uf liie 

bands ot ' viz) 

The Church in Biddeford, tho 2d Church in Searboro*. the 
fiml and second Churches in WelU, the Church in Wind- 
bam, the finft Church ui Fahnoulh, and tlie firbl Church in 
Boston. 

Thus commenced a pastorate over the newly-coiisiitu- 
ted Church, which continued until April 2, 1798, a period of 
nearly thirty-six years. I remarked in the beginning upon 
the scantiness of the record. In April, 17G.'3, the year following 
the Pastor's, ordination, entry is made of the choice by the 
Church ** of Brother Amos Chase as deacon ;" and in June 
of the same year of the choice " of Brother Gershom Bilhngs 
to the same otfice, in place of another who had dechneii the 
ap(>ointment." Again, in June, 1771, eleven years later, a sim- 
ilar notice is taken of the election " of Brother Samuel Scam- 
man as deacon, in place of Mr. Billings, removed from town." 
And, excepting lists of |)crsons admitted to the church, of 
baptisms, and marriages, this is all that remains to us, on the 
record, of the transactions of the Church under its earliest 
pastorate, and for more than a third of its {wst history. 

Yet even from these lists of names something ran Ik? learn- 
ed in regard to its condition. The most imprcitsiTc fact they 
present is the very shortness of that list, uhich contains the 
names of those admitted — as it was calletl — '* to full rommun- 
ion." The whole number of admissions to mendKrship in 
the church during the first thirty-six years was but nine ! In 
1763, one ; in I7()l, two ; in 17G7, four ; in 177'*», one ; and 
in 1777, one :— -of whom six were females. And yet this 
record, tliat seems to argue such constant spiritual desolation, 
preaents to us a state of things not ;" ' r. It 

wasaday of clouds and tliick darknesn 1.. :.. . trough 

all our borders, during the entire period of that first pastor* 



13 

ate. Almost from tts commencement to its close violent po- 
litical agitations excited the popular mind throughout the 
country. At first, the sharp-eyed jealousy and rising spirit of 
opposition, vvitli which the Colonies watched the encroach- 
ments of the home-government in England upon their chart- 
ered rights. Next, the long, anxious, exhausting struggle of 
the war for independence. Then, the scarcely less harassing 
and perilous state of disseverment and well-nigh of chaos that 
followed, until, under the skillful pilotage of the great patriots 
of that day, and the favor of the God of our fathers, the crisis 
was passed, and of the many separate Colonies was made the 
one great Union. And then, last of all, the task of getting 
the new government into working order, and balancing its 
various functions, amid the confusion of fierce party strifes, 
intensified by the excitement caused by the terrible revolution 
in France. With influences such as these operating to dis- 
tract men's minds, how can we wonder that spiritual religion 
made slow progress in this and other communities? And 
other causes contributed to the same result. Ministers, there 
is reason to believe, shared in the spirit of the times. The 
preaching of the age was moral rather than religious ; was 
smooth and scholarly rather than convincing and converting 
in its tendency. The doctrines of the gospel were but loosely 
held. The evangelical sentiment was undecided. There 
was a vagueness of belief, v/iiich left room for the creeping in 
unawares of those seeds of error, which sprang up and bore 
fruit in later years in wide-spread defection from the truth of 
Christ. That most mischievous form of church-relation, too, 
known as the " half-way covenant," was at the same time 
in full force — one of the shrewdest methods ever devised by 
well-meaning but mistaken men, for quieting the conscience 
with a deadly opiate without depriving the soul of its cher- 
ished sin. Dispensing with that one great demand, on which 
tiie gospel ever insists first of all, of a true and thorough 
change of heart from the world to God, it granted a sort of 
informal church-membership to parents wishing to offer their 



1 1 

children in Itaptisin, upon llicir ackn(mlc(lgn>cnt in a general 
way of ihcir o()li^alion to live a moral and religious life in 
obedience lo iho Scriptures. This it wa« ea^y f'»r thone 
brouuht up in New Kiii^'iund homes lo make, costing as it 
did no sacrifice of the atrcctions of tiie heart, nor any serious 
cliango io the course of life. Accordingly we find tiiat, while 

in those thirty-six ytnrs only nine i - ' ! to have 

come to God in this eoininunity u> ilren^ no 

lea than two hundred and twenty entered within the enclo- 
iure of the church by this •' other way ;" — and of the dilTer- 
ent entries ninety-one (amounting' to one hundred and eighty- 
two out of the two hundred and twenty |)ersons) are of hus- 
band and wife, adiiiitled together to this fabic and dangerous 
position. When the bare outward form of reliL:ion was at 
such a premium, it was scarcely to l>e e.xj>ected that any gen- 
eral anxiety should be rnanifetited to |>4).->5e9S titc reality. 

Mr. Fairturld's minislry, after having continued for the long 
period I have mentioned, in undisturbed outward harmony 
between himself and his congregation, was terminated at 
lenglli at his own reiterated re(|ue8l.* In April, 1798, the 
town released him from his re- ' !iiies as their i ' : 

although his |mslonil relation l< ' nrch wu.s not i. i 

until the following year, at the induction of his successor into 
office. Mr. Fairfield died in Uiddeford, December 16, 1819, 
at the advanced age of eighty-three years. 

In Julv the* town made an unsuccessful applK'ation to Mr. 
Caleb Bradley, well known since that time in all this region, 
lo ficcupy the VHcntit |»astorute.t Their next invitation was 
given to Mr. FJilm l\ liUcomh, who for some months had 
been employed as their preacher, and by him was accepted. 
At this time the life of the Church was so nearly exiiaiisted, 
that r«'|»orl has it that ** only three male meml>cr8 couKl Ins 
found" to reprewnt it ; aui\ Ihcy, ou behalf of the Church, 
Totcd concurrence with the invitation of the town. .Mr. 
Whitoomb was ordained in July, 1799. The Church-record 

* NgU D. \ Note H 



15 

of his ministry is even more meagre than of that of his prede- 
cessor. It contains absolutely not one minute of the Church's 
history or doings — not even of his own ordination — from his 
settlement to his dismission in 1810. Nothing remains but 
the Church-lists, and some of them apparently imperfect. 

The selection of the new Pastor was, for the interests of ihe 
Church, most unfortunate. Judging him by his Ufe, there is 
no reason to believe him to have ever been a partaker of that 
grace of God which he professed to preach to others, A 
man, it would seem, of good natural parts, and of much 
shrewd humor ; in all the moral qualities that should charac- 
terize " a good minister of Jesus Christ" he appears to have 
been wholly lacking. The recollection of him, as tradition 
preserves it, is only painful. To his other deficiencies were 
superadded habits of indulgence in intoxicating drink, wliich 
at length became so notorious and disgraceful, that the Church 
were constrained virtually lo demand his resignation. It was 
tendered in June, IS 10. Friendly efforts to reclaim him 
from his intemperance were made at different times, but, pro- 
ving of no avail, he was in the year following excommunica- 
ted from the church-fellowship. Subsequently he removed 
to the Eastern part of the State, and died there at length 
most miserably in his intoxication. 

The history of the Church, while under his care, may be 
briefly told. Its external interests, being identified with those 
of the town, (which from the year 1805 has borne its present 
name,) were in a flourishing condition. In that year the 
sanctuary, recently destroyed by fire, was built, and dedicated 
in the ensuing February. At the time of its erection it was 
the most attractive church-edifice in the State, — as it was al- 
so perhaps the most costly. But the congregation dwindled 
more and more, till its scantiness, as compared with the mag- 
nitude of the building, became a mockery and a by-word. 
Religion, as a power in the community, was constantly losing 
ground. The town was fast becoming godless, and, as the 
natural consequencCj vice flourished, and the peace was bro- 



16 

ken by frequent qoarrvls. Every good interest was ut the 
lowest ebb. 

The dismissal of the unworthy pastor was (he first clear in- 
dication of the turning of the tide. Still more decisive evi- 
dence of a cliange for the better was furnished in the selec- 
tion and settlement of his successor, a man as dilVcrent in 
every way as [>osiiible. And here at length we come to a 
church-record, fit to be so calle<l. It is note-worthy, too, as 
a sijn of brigliler days, l!iat at this \mul the Church trjok 
the It'od in the choice of their reli^'ious tcaciicr, instead of 
waiting, as in former cases, for the previous action of the 
town. In September, 1810, they passed a vote expressive 
of their " satisfaction with the preaching of Mr. Jonathan 
Cogtwell," and of their desire that he should be invited to 
become the minister of the town ; in which desire the town 
concurring, Mr. Cogswell was ordained in October of the 
same year. 

To him, more than to any other man who ever lived here, 
would seem to be due, under God, the credit of the moral 
improvement of this cnminunity. Not in any sense a brilliant 
man, not remarkable for inlelh'clual force or |K)Wcr of im- 
pressive address, ho was — what was far Ixjlter — a humble, 
fjeorty christian, intent on doing goo<l, and *' making full 
proof of his ministry." Akin to his friend Payson in spirit, 
although inferior in pulfiit talents, he came in the |>ower of a 
blameless life, and an earnest belief of the " truth as it is in 
Jesus." The records abound in utterances of his devotion 
to, and joy in the success of, his work. He preached to save 
(he souls of his hearers: faithful to warn, to rouse the sleep- 
ing conscience, to instruct those w!io were willing to be 
taught the wny of salvation. The consc<]uences nnlumi un- 
der (he circumstances s|)cedily followed. A new awaking of 
spiritual life was soon ap|Mirent. A new interest invested tlic 
preaching of the goii|>el, ond drew those who had l>efore been 
indifTercnt to thr house of prayer. Religion came to be in 
honor. And from time to lime nwny who, as they hoped, 



17 

" had received power to become the children of God," united 
themselves in open fellowship with his professed servants. 
We hear no more of the " half-way covenant." Whether 
it was formally abandoned, or allowed to go silently into dis- 
use, does not appear ; but there is nothing to show that its 
principle was one with which the pastor had any sympathy. 
Under his ministry the Church acquired strength and charac- 
ter. During its continuance, with the increase of population, 
other religious Societies came into existence in the town — 
the Free- Will Baptist, whose worship was maintained at first 
in the Northern part of the township, as early as 1811 : the 
Calvinistic Baptist, in 1827 ; and the Episcopal in the same 
year — in the course of wiiich, also, the Unitarian Society was 
transferred from Biddeford, where it was originated, to Saco, 
and constituted the Second Parish. This Society retained 
its ancient connection with the town until 1825, when it was 
set off as the First Parish, in its present separate capacity. 

After a most useful pastorate of eighteen years, Mr. Cogs- 
well was compelled by the impaired state of his health to ask 
a release from the duties of his office, which was granted him 
in October, 1828. The later years of his residence here had 
been disturbed by an ungenerous assault upon his character, 
on charges, in regard to which a Council, on careful inquiry, 
completely cleared him. Aside from this, nothing occurred 
to disturb its tranquillity ; — and when he removed from town, 
the high esteem of its inhabitants followed him.* 

Before his departure he had the satisfaction of witnessing 
the unanimity of the Church in presenting, on his own mo- 
tion, an invitation to Rev. Samuel Johnson, of Alna, to be- 
come his successor. Probably he had some agency in pro- 
curing Mr. Johnson's services, and he was happy in commit- 
ting the people for whom he had labored so faithfully to the 
care of a man on whom he could safely rely. Mr. Johnson, 
having accepted the invitation, was installed in the following 
month, and held the pastoral office until July, 1835, a period 

* Note F. 



19 

of <ix years and llircc (|uarlcn», when he wan rclcasctl at his 
own rc4|uc-st, to become the At;cnt in this Slate of the Maine 
Missionary Society. Ilis (tastornl relation continuetl in fonn, 
until his succissor'ti riitrnnte u[)on hi» ofl'ice. Of ready and 
po|iulur talents, and friendly niannerii, he made himself very 
acceptable to his congre^nilion, who |)arted with him finally, 
with reii:ret, and only in deference to what seemed in his 
\iew the call of <luty. Ini|»orlunt additions were made to 
the numbers of the Church thiouu'h his instrumentality. A 
vole upon record afTirms that more than half its meml>ers, at 
the time of his disinissal, had l>e<rn received durini; the lew 
than seven years of his (>aslorate. Mr. Johnson's labors in 
his new sphere were suddenly terminated by his death, about 
a year after his removal from Saco. 

In (>«:lolx;r, JSJo, the Church vole«l to prix m u tall to 
Rev. Nulhnn Munroc ; and. on llie failure of this invitation, 
another vote was itissed in January, I8.')0, inviting liev. Satn- 
vel Hiyyfiina, of MontfK>lier, Vl.. to the vacant (xistomte. 
liavint; communicated his assent, he was installed on tli<* 
ITih of February, and hehl the oHice until the 5lh of May, 
1841, when the prostration uf his slren^h induced him to 
nsk Ijis ■' II, for the purpose; of tryini: the ellert of a 

journe\ Upon his n turn in tlitr following year, the 

Church, which had in the meantime remained without a set- 
tled minister, wiih ;,Teat iinnnimily recalled him to his former 
|>o»l ; and he was re-installfd on the lllh of I)eceml>cr, 1 - 1-*. 
This second term of wrviee lasted till September 15th, I - I 1. 
when it wan ended by his resi<;nation, followed by the formal 
di» ' ' ' ' 'iiion on the '2(»lh of N^jvemU'r. 

Mr ill. in all. Ji hiile more than sev- 

en years. 

I need iv>' what I sup(vise is undoubtedly 

true, that, «.. ... -. ., .^ of Poxtors of this Church dur- 
ing tiic entire century, he was ^^ratly the most admired, and 
ihc most generally |)opuUr. Vivid in his contraptions of truth, 
and slroimr, often striking;, in his statement of it, of fertile irn- 



19 

agination, quick and warm in his sympathies, and skilled to 
touch the feelings of others, he attracted hearers, and won 
ardent friends. Most reluctantly did the Society consent to 
his first departure ; most gladly was he welcomed back on 
his return. The affectionate interest, with which his old pa- 
rishioners still remember him after an interval of nearly twen- 
ty years, bears impressive witness to the firm hold he had 
gained upon their regard.* 

Of my own ministry, immediately ensuing, and continuing 
seven years and eight months — the longest pastorate since 
that of Mr. Cogswell — it of course becomes me to say no 
more than the connection of events may require. It com- 
menced with my ordination on Christmas, 1844, and ended 
on the 1 7th of August, 1852, in consequence of my resigna- 
tion for reasons that seemed to me imperative, notwithstan- 
ding the unanimous wish of the Church that it should be 
withdrawn. Introduced by my predecessor, and called in 
my inexperienced youth to stand in the place of a man of 
such ability, I shall always have occasion for grateful remem- 
brance of the generous consideration shown toward me not 
withstanding my deficiencies, and for regret only that my 
ministry was not more largely productive of immediate good 
fruits. 

The facts that remain to be recounted of the Church's history 
for the century are within the fresh recollection of all of you, 
and may be speedily told. From the 17lh of August, 185'2, 
until near the close of 1854, it was without a pastor. In 
November, 1853, Mr. Jacob M. Manning, a recent graduate 
from Andovqr, was invited to assume that position, but re- 
turned a negative answer. In July of the year following a 
call was presented to Rev. Francis B. Wheeler, of Brandon, 
Vt., which was accepted, and he was installed, December 6th. 
His ministry of four years and a quarter was ended, March 
2, 1859, by his dismissal to undertake another charge, (in 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y.,) — very greatly to the regret of the 

* Note G. ■ 



26 

whole Church nnd Society, by whom lie was wamily IotcJ 
and esteemed. 

In Au^njst, It^fji), the Church oflcrcd the vacant (taHtonite 
lo Mr. Charles Ji. liict, of Conway, Mass., and he, having 
signified liis acceptance of it, was ordained on the Glh o( De- 
cember, and continued in otlice till Noven)ber 26, ISGl, 
when he voluntarily resigned it, after a minintry of a little 
less than two years. In the first year of his jwisiorale, early 
on the morning of the second Sabbath in July, I SCO. cxrcur- 
red the destruction by fire of the chuieh-edilice, in which, for 
nearly two generations, the families of this Church and con- 
gregation had gathered for the worship of God. Endeared 
.by life-long associations, the sadness of the day that witness- 
ed its reduction to ashes will not l)e soon forgotten, even 
when its place shall have been more than made (jood by the 
more elegant structure n«»w building on the same founilation. 

For me, whose acquaintance with your last two Pastors was 
but casual and very slight, to undertake to characterize their 
res|M?clive ministries lo you, who knew them well, would be 
as evidently i(npro|>cr and in bad taste, as it is unnecessary. 
I clos<', then, here, this imperfect outline of the i>cisonal his- 
tory of the Pastors of this Church.* But it would be a se- 
rious omission, if I should neglect to recall to your r«'mcm- 
brance the tinies of s|)ecial gracious visitation, which the lov- 
ing-kindness of the Lord has bestowed Ujxin it. 

The earliest of these, as I have intimated already, are to be 
found iluring the |Kri(Ml «»f Mr. Cogswell's pastorate, which, 
OS res|>erts this (onimunity, was einphaiirally the time of the 
rcfonnation. And yet in the strong reaction, which, under 
his faithful lnl>or», set in from the prevailing irreligi(»n of ear- 
lier da>s, the characteristic feature of im|>rovement seems 
not to have l>ccn a transient awakening, prmlucing great tem- 
|K)rary excitement, and itugmenting the Church by a sudden 
and large increase, so much as a more |K>rmancnt religious 
interest — as if ihcn for ihc first time the gosjiel came to the 



'21 

people in its power, almost as a new revelation, of which they 
'did not soon grow weary, and which gradually trained 
their spiritual nature for a higher life. For year after year 
were the accessions to the church-fellowship numerous ; 
while the Pastor's record again and again bears grateful wit- 
ness to the manifested presence of God in the place of prayer. 
The years 1831 and 1832, which to a wide extent were sig- 
nalized elsewhere in New England by the displays of the di- 
vine grace, were memorable here also. At three successive 
communions in the former, fifty-eight persons were admitted 
to the church of Christ ; and in the latter, thirty-one more. 
In 1838, there existed more than usual thoughtfulness in re- 
gard to religion, the fruit of which appeared in the addition 
■at one time of twenty-three to the number of the Church. 
Subsequently to that date, there occurred no wide-spread and 
pervading seriousness in the community, nor did the Church 
increase by otirer than occasional accessions, until the year 
1858, a year made memorable all over our Northern States 
by the unparalleled unanimity with which the public mind 
was directed to divine truth. The gracious God was pleased 
to visit this Church also, among a multitude of others, in 
power and great mercy. The Communion-Sabbaths of May 
and July of that year will long be remembered, when seventy- 
two on one occasion, and twenty-four on the other, openly 
confessed the Lord Jesus as the hope and the chosen portion 
of their souls. 

Twice in its history has this Church been suddenly smitten 
with heavy calamity in its worldly interests. One of the in- 
stances I have already reminded you of — indeed the burning 
of the meeting-house is not forgotten by any of you long. 
The other is referred to by Mr. Johnson in the following en- 
try in the records : 

" Feb. 21, 1830. This day the assembly were called out 
of meeting in the afternoon, on account of the fire in the Fac- 
tory, when the building with all its contents was consumed. 
The direct loss sustained by members of this Church and par- 



2-2 

i»h was One Hundred and twenly-Hix thousand dollar*." — 
Tht'rcufKjn, shortly after, it wan deci(h-d to '• observe a day 
of fiislin^ and pravfr on account of this solemn visitation of 
Divine Providence, and to entreat that it may be followed by 
the out|>ouring of the Spirit." This disusler preceded by a 
short interval the revival of IKH. There may have been 
soaie connection iK-twcen the two events. 

Unlil 1823, the social meetings of the Church were held 
in school-houses and private dwdlinj^s. To obviate the fre- 
quent inconvrnit-nce of this ariangement, a few public-spirit- 
ed cili/ens combined to build the first Vestry in that year, 
and it was thenceforth occupied by the Church until 1859, 
whin the present fur more attractive and commodious edifice 
was erected. 

I ask your pardon for the leufzth of these details. The 
story of a hundred y«*nrs needs nyt often to l)e told, and may 
Ix.' th«)ut,'lil worth relating with some minuteness. As you 
review them, the contrast between their beginning and their 
clojK) — not so great as in some instances, it is true, — is still 
most eocouruging. 

" Willi cliongT ! throiigti pathlcsii wilds no mora 
The fierce and naked i«ivtj;c roenw : 
Sweet prmwe, along the cultured •bore, 
BrtAk* from ten ihouund happy buiic* '.* 

Occasion for regret any one may find that a church so long 
established has not made larger growth ; but occasion, too, 
for thankfulness, to any justly-considerate mind, that such 
actual increase is apiKirent, — that so much good fruit has 
been ri|>ened and gnthere«l into the garner of heaven, or 
hangf still on the Imugh, maturing for the Lord's future use. 
T\m history l»ears witness that (io<l rememlH'rs this Church 
in love, and counts it " a vine of his own planting." He 
spares it to enter on a new century of ciinstian duty. Is it 



^3 

not that it may " shine" more brightly, " its Hght being 
come, and the glory of the Lord having risen upon it ?" 

A hundred years have gone, since the first Pastor and his 
ten brethren united to lay the foundations of this Church. 
They sleep now, most or all of them, " in unrecorded graves." 
But they " all live unto God" to-day, while we in this later 
age recount the incidents of their peaceful lives. When 
October, 1963, shall have come forth from the future, this 
Church may still be in existence, and its members may ob- 
serve its second Centennial. What eye can now foresee the 
changes in the social condition of this community and of our 
nation, which that day may behold ! But we shall not be here 
to take part in the commemoration. May the grace of heaven 
descend so abundantly on this Church in years to come, that 
the memories which that day shall recall shall be full of joy 
and thanksgiving ! May ours be lives so animated and con- 
trolled by the spirit of heaven, that that day, dawning long 
after our departure from earthly scenes, shall greet us joyful 
sharers, with " the just made perfect," of the rewards of 
" the better land !" 



APPENDIX. 



Note A. 

It hardly needs to be said, that for very many of the facts mentioned 
in this Address I am indebted to the " History of Saco and Biddeford," 
by Mr. George Folsom ; an author, whose eareful researches into the 
early records of the two towns spare later investigators much of the la- 
bor, they must otherwise have performed. Parts of this Address, in- 
deed, are but reproductions of his narrative in a new form. A few of 
the statements here made rest on the authority of " Greenleaf 's Eccles- 
iastical Sketches of the Churches in Maine," Some items of interest I 
have gathered from our venerable fellow-citizen, Capt. Ichabod Jordan, 
now in the ninety-third year of his age. 

Note B. 

The Ferry Road, which for a time was the principal street in the set- 
tlement, was originally laid out, in the part nearest the Falls, souiewhat 
closer to the river than the street that now bears the same name* Com- 
mon Street, continued almost in a straight line, and entering the present 
Ferry road in the neighborhood of the Cemetery, would more accurately 
follow its course. 

Note C. 

It may be presumed that the larger sum voted for Mr. Fairfield's sup- 
port was what was called in those days " a settlement" — i. e., a pay. 
ment intended to meet the first expenses of the minister's family, in 
commencing housekeeping. Whether in this instance the "£80 law- 
ful," ofiered to Mr. F. as his regular salary, was included in the more' 
liberal amount afterwards voted, I am not aware that the records show. 
Probably, however, such was the fact. 

Note D. 

The following is Mr. Fairfield's letter, tendering to the town the re- 
signation of his office, — as it stands upon the Town records: 

" To the Inhabitants of the Town of Pepper dlhorough, in annual 
Town meeting assembled. > 

Christian brethren and friends : 

Thirty four years are elapsed, since I settled in the gospel-ministry 
among you, which term is nearly a ministerial life, upon an average of 



Buc • i! in lilo, 

mill 
in t 
of> 
the 1 



ntluT C\ i 

UiwT." 

bOr\ 1 

b* • 

■ rnoii); yi>u, m lliau i>y i. 

coiwijcrcd, it . tliat my c i 

niinwtrrial »upfH>rt (u;iy U- ti.M>uac-il. Ami 1 u- 

wilh lhi« my «l»i«ire by your vote in llim yoor Tou 

will. (ill you can ptt.vidc vtHll^' . u.' ui-raig 

mv <• in tbp Town, I » I'l i»t } ' to von. im 

1 11' ' *•' i'<'nt M .-.'I'-.N ,ir !, 

but , and I aui your , 

J t>ll.> I A 11.1 II I I>. 

Peppcrcl I borough, A p. 3, 1?.'7. 



:\uU' i:. 

Few minifterw in tht« (Tgion hive gained a wider notoHetr for eccen- 
Iric humor thin thm well-known clergyman, recently de«-eaiM»d in Wc^t- 
brook, at an advanced age. It may interest itome readeni lu act hia 
rbaracleriftic tetter, refuHing the invitation of the Town to become ita 
inininter. A somewhat novel reading of a paa«-ige of scriplure will ba 
noticed by the obner\-nnt at the cNwc of the second pamgraph ; but I 
give I'. a« it atanda on the Town recordw. 

** To Ihe Inhabilantj of the Town of Prpptrtllborougk : 

(treat and imimrtaiit la the work of prearhinc the (joapel. and no 
ono ought ?o ' ' ' ' • ' ' ' ' ' ' - jt 

and tnlenla f" " 



cat 

lo* , ; ; ;a 
the 

< ' ' riH-rivfd a 

pol .1 

ha« t 

of • ■ aiul « nitiiiry ol * : •' 

thrr , you hia thmka for t r, 
polilciu'sji aiiil aUtntiun, you Imvv itauileatod towarda hiin, au^w i^i Ita^ 

* A ftlncaUr Ualainaol for a /mt$ur to maka. of whicb 1 an unaltla to fi*« *»J 
ai^lawtkm 



27 

had the pleasure of residing among you, — and he likewise gives a nega- 
tive answer, though he does it with somewhat reluctance, being com- 
pelled as it were by the express words of inspiration, for that says, "he 
that provideth not for himself, and his own household, hath denied the 
faith, and is worse than an Infidel." 

He does not doubt in the least but you intended to vote a sum of 
money which you supposed would be equal to a handsome support, but 
at the same time he begs leave to differ with you in judgment, (consid- 
ering the expense of living,) for he considers the sums you have voted 
to be quite inadequate to a handsome support. 

Notwithstanding he has answered you in the negative, yet he sincere- 
ly hopes you will not continue long in an unsettled state, etc. * * * 
" Finally, brethren, flirewell, be perfect, be of one mind, live in peace, 
and the God of love and peace shall be with you." 

Caleb Bradley." 

Pepperellborough, Sept. 2, 1798. 



Mote F. 

Mr. Cogswell still survives in advanced years, spending the quiet 
evening of his days in New Brunswick, N. J. 

Note G. 

Since his resignation of the pastorate, Mr. Hopkins has removed to 
Northampton, Mass., and has occupied much of his time with literary 
labors. In 3852 he published a small volume of religious meditations, 
entitled " Lessons at the Cross." A few years afterward he wrote " The 
Youth of the Old Dominion," an imaginative sketch of the early day? 
of Virginia. In J 859-61 he published his very valuable and thorough 
History, entitled " The Puritans and Queen Elizabeth," in three vols., 
Bvo. 

i\ote H. 

The following is believed to be a complete list of the brethren of the 
Church, who have served it as its Deacons during the past century. 

Amos Chase, Gershom Billings, Samuel Scamman, Francis Woods, 
James Gray, Richard C. Shannon, James Rumery, Joseph M. Hayes? 
James S. Goodwin, Seth Scamman, Philip Eastman, Dominicus Jordan, 
Charles C. Sawyer, Ivory Dame. 



LIEJRftRY Of COWG*?ESt. 




013 995 699 ^ 






